Biometric Security: Are Inexpensive Biometric Devices Reliable Enough to Gain Wide-Spread Security Usage?

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal Volume 7 Article 11 Fall 2006 Biometric Security: Are Inexpensive Biometric Devices Reliable Enough to Gain Wide-Spread Security Usage? Brian Thanh Tran University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/inquiry Part of the Information Security Commons, and the Management Information Systems Commons Recommended Citation Tran, Brian Thanh (2006) "Biometric Security: Are Inexpensive Biometric Devices Reliable Enough to Gain Wide-Spread Security Usage?," Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 7 , Article 11. Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/inquiry/vol7/iss1/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact , . Tran: Biometric Security: Are Inexpensive Biometric Devices Reliable En INFORMATION SYSTEMS: Tran--Biometric Security 59 BIOMETRIC SECURITY: ARE INEXPENSIVE BIOMETRIC DEVICES RELIABLE ENOUGH TO GAIN WIDE-SPREAD SECURITY USAGE? By Brian Thanh Tran Department of Information Systems Advisor: Dr. David E. Douglas Department of Information Systems Abstract: The ever growing needfor security in today' s world requires exploring the feasibility of various security methods to ensure the safety of the world's population. With the tremendous growth oftechnology, e-commerce, and business globalization, society implements new methods to try to battle security problems. Technology advances has resulted in a number of inexpensive biometric devices to the marketplace. Two questions surface regarding this devices-are they reliable enough for general usage and will people be willing to use them? This research conducted a repeated design experiment to determine the effectiveness of four inexpensive biometric devices-three fingerprint readers and an iris scanner. Further, a questionnaire was designed to gain insights to the views of subjects using these biometric devices. On average, all the devices performed well for identification purposes-the fingerprint readers peiforming better than the iris scanner. The questionnaire revealed that most people preferfingerprint readers over that of iris scanners and that although 60% of the people surveyed had heard of biometrics, only 21% oftlwse sun·eyed had ever used a biometric device. The public does not feel that these devices provide complete security, but does provide a reliable means for identification. Introduction Biometrics is the study of biological characteristics and behaviors for the purpose of verifying identity. With the tremendous growth of technology to try to battle security problems, the reoccurring question often becomes "is this a reliable security method?" Methods used by forensic teams such as latent fingerprints, DNA, hair samples, or fiber analyses are not considered to be in the field of biometrics. Biometrics has a key advantage over traditional methods such as tokens (smartcards, keycards, etc) and passwords because they are measurable and use physiological and/or behavioral characteristics to verify the identity of an individual. Tokens can be lost, stolen, forgotten, and in some Published by ScholarWorks@UARK, 2006 cases be duplicated. Passwords have the problems of being stolen, broken, shared, or forgotten. With the continuation of corporate globalization, events such as 9111 and the London bombings of July 2005, and identity theft, the need for better security measures have become more prominent and necessary. Recently, biometric technologies are becoming security options in everyday use for businesses and organizations. Trying to take a leap into the biometrics market, Accenture was given a$1 0 billion contract in 2004 to incorporate biometric identification measures for the U. S. Visitor and Immigration Status Indicator Technology program, which allows for the tracking offoreigners entering the United States. With the growing importance of ecommerce and online transaction processing the security of rT infrastructure has never been as critical as it is now. In the midst of the technology age, we are trying to find more methods in which to solve the problems of identity theft and verification to allow for a safer society. This project will provide reliable insights into using inexpensive biometric devices for identity and authentication. [n analyzing the collected data, the wealth of information derived from the primary research will allow for a betterunderstanding of how effective current biometric technology really is and what impact it could possible make in the present and future. New technologies open a world of opportunities. Having an accurate identification and authentication process will help deter crimes, fraud, and save critical resources that can be used to advance the efficiency of society. Currently, the United States has about S l billion dollars in welfare benetits that are claimed by individuals who are double dipping with fake identities. Companies such as ~Iastercard estimate their credit card fmud to be approximately $450 million annually, and ATM cards have a fraud worth of approximately $3 billion annually {{Jain. A. !999; 2}}. According to Erik Bowman from CardTech/ SecurTech, the growing demand for network security industry will increase the market for biometric applications from S24 million in 1997 to $60 in 1999 {{Lawton, George 1998; 17} }. 1 Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal, Vol. 7 [2006], Art. 11 60 INQUIRY Volume 7 2006 These facts demonstrate that the opportunities for biometric devices to enter the market and make a direct impact are very high. However, the possibility for so many variables such as age, ethnicity, different body states such as sickness or allergies, or even medical solutions such as contact lenses and Lasik eye surgery, challenges using biometrics to verify identity in everyday life. The technology, if in fact successful, should provide improvements for identity theft and fraud problems. If properly designed, biometric devices could allow for technological advances to improve efficiency and productivity of society as a whole. Nevertheless, this technology also raises a number of questions, some of which are listed below. Who uses biometrics? How does biometrics NOT work? H 2: The effectiveness of fingerprint readers and iris scanners do not change over time. How will these technologies affect private lives? Purpose of Study: The research will attempt to answer these questions by use of biometric products that can be purchased by the everyday consumer. Multiple devices testing the same biometric variable were purchased to confirm the reliability of the device and the variable they are testing. Biometric devices considered for th (...truncated)